Growing out
of a small-town school event in California, Women’s History Month is a
celebration of women’s contributions to history, culture and society. The
United States has observed it annually throughout the month of March since
1987.

“Weaving the Stories of Women’s Lives” is the
theme for National Women’s History Month 2015.

The
theme presents the opportunity to weave women’s stories – individually and
collectively – into the essential fabric of our nation’s history.

About
Women’s History Month

Women’s History Month in the United States grew out of a weeklong
celebration of women’s contributions to culture, history and society organized
by the school district of Sonoma,California,
in 1978. Presentations were given at dozens of schools, hundreds of students
participated in a “Real Woman” essay contest and a parade was held in downtown
Santa Rosa.

A few years later, the idea had caught on within communities, school
districts and organizations across the country. In 1980, PresidentJimmy Carterissued the first presidential
proclamation declaring the week of March 8 as National Women’s History Week.
The U.S. Congress followed suit the next year, passing a resolution
establishing a national celebration. Six years later, the National Women’s
History Project successfully petitioned Congress to expand the event to the
entire month of March.